I'm a Gemini. So even though I don't generally buy into the whole zodiac business -- apparently we're using the wrong calendar anyways and we're all walking around thinking we're the wrong sign; maybe I'm actually a Libra, who knows? -- I oftentimes find myself living up to my zodiac reputation and battling between two conflicting sides of myself.

Last weekend at Peace One Day, I was fighting between my inner cynic (who shows herself more often than I'd like) and my inner peace-loving optimist (see photo on the right).

In the midst of all the lights, glamour and drunken French fans, I did a lot of thinking during this concert. And I admit that at first I was a bit put off by the whole event.

Is a global day of peace actually possible? And even if it were, what could it realistically accomplish in the long term? Was this just four hours of music so that upper-class, mostly white Westerners could relieve themselves of any guilt they may feel regarding the state of the developing world?

It was also interesting watching this concert in France, with a mostly Francophone audience. I had to cringe slightly when Youssou N'Dour led the crowd in a call and repeat session of chanting "Africa" during each chorus. Haven't they like, still not formally apologized for that whole Algeria debacle? And racism towards North African immigrants (and even 2nd and 3rd generation French citizens of North African decent) remains a massive issue in this country. Something about the whole situation just didn't sit well with me.

moistworks.com

Wired.com ran an interesting piece back in 2008, about Bono and his work in Africa, analyzing the role of celebrity in charitable causes. Basically the article breaks up celebrities into two groups: those who actually care, and those who are just doing it to get some good PR.

Washington lobbyist Tom Sheridan of The Sheridan Group was asked to show Bono the ins and outs of Capitol Hill.

The article quotes Sheridan as explaining the following about celebrity involvement in social and political issues:

"If an issue group seems to have been used by a celebrity to distract form a celebrity's other problems -- say, a drug rehab problem or a marriage problem [...] it will diminish the respect that other people have for that issue and that group. It becomes somewhat of a caricature of bad photo opp celebrity activism. That can have a backlash."

However, the article also points out that if a celebrity is honestly committed to the cause and advocating effective programs, their start power can actually have an impact on voters and policy makers in Washington.

To summarize: When Lindsay Lohan decides to open a school for young recovering drug addicts, visit flood victims in Pakistan and meet with Nelson Mandela, it's about as sincere as her fourth stint in rehab. But if it looks like a celebrity has been truly devoted to a cause over the course of his or her career, during both Oscar winning years and those spent at Promises, it's probably the real deal

unicef.org

As the evening wore on, the ice queen inside me slowly began to melt away. I learned that Jude Law and Peace One Day founder Jeremy Gilley actually went to Afghanistan and were able to get both sides to agree to a 24-hour cease fire. Jude Law has also taken the time to speak to UNICEF about the cause, and it's clear that Gilley has devoted well over a decade of his time, his money and essentially his soul to this important issue of global peace.

So overall, I decided that while some of the performers and dramatic film voice-overs seemed a bit cheesy (although it could have just been Gilley's extremely posh English accent), this is obviously an important cause that everyone should support. And if it ultimately succeeds in its goal to institutionalize peace, the results could save millions and millions of lives around the world.